1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to fishing rod and tackle carriers and more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved bucket tackle system for organizing, transporting, and storing of fishing rods and reels, lures, and fishing equipment so as to allow for easy access and to prevent them from being damaged and/or destroyed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is generally well-known, the activity of sport or recreational fishing with rods and reels requires the use of a considerable amount of equipment. This is especially true where the line, bait, and hook are cast from the side of a boat into a lake or stream. The fishing site is usually located some distance from the dock or shore and thus all of the fisherman's gear must be transported from the dock and loaded onto the boat for traveling to the remote fishing site. During this transporting of the fishing rods and reels, they are sometimes laid down and/or fall onto the deck surface of the boat. As a result, these fishing rods and reels, which are relatively quite expensive, may become stepped on and broken or damaged and/or destroyed by the fishermen.
In addition, tackle boxes having multiple compartments have been used by fishermen to sort and store artificial bait and lures, hooks, sinkers, quills, lines and other various fishing implements used in fishing. However, often these fishing implements are tossed around and become mixed up or tangled together during their transportation so as to be not readily accessible during the time of fishing. Further, it is sometimes difficult to remember which one of the multiple compartments in the tackle box had been used for storing a specific lure or the like.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved bucket tackle system for organizing, transporting and storing of fishing rods and reels and other fishing equipment which is relatively simple and inexpensive in design, construction, and operation. It would also be expedient that the bucket tackle system be easily accessible so that the desired fishing implement can be quickly located, but yet prevent them from being damaged and/or destroyed.
A prior art search directed to the subject matter of this application in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office revealed the following Letters Patent and application:
3,751,8455,337,8924,845,8815,634,2915,125,1835,659,9955,261,5616,253,4845,303,5006,254,0555,319,8776,364,150
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,500 to Luukonen issued on Apr. 19, 1994, there is disclosed a portable ice fishing device for use by ice fisherman which includes a bucket with a handle, a first tray, a second tray, a third tray, a cover and an apron. The trays contain a plurality of dividers so as to separate various types of fishing gear. The apron is formed of a body having an upper portion, a lower portion, a ledge, a pocket, and a strap. During use, a plurality of ice fishing rods may be attached to the apron. The handles of the fishing rods are preferably positioned within the pocket for resting engagement upon the base. The central portion of the fishing rods is then positioned within one of the plurality of grooves during transportation of the ice fishing device.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,150 to Persinger issued on Apr. 2, 2002, there is taught an ice fishing bucket for organizing and transporting ice fishing rods and tackle which includes a bucket member and a removable lid secured to the lip of the bucket member. The lid has a large hole cut in its surface and a foam ring is fitted around the inner periphery of the hole. Slits are cut radially around the inner circumference of the foam ring for securing fishing rods. A foam disk is fitted into the bottom of the bucket member against a bottom wall. The foam disk has holes for receiving the handles ends of the ice fishing rods. To organize the fishing rods, the handle of a rod is placed in one of the holes in the foam disk and the rod is then pushed into the corresponding slit in the foam ring on the bucket lid.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,055 to Lamberson, Jr. issued on Jul. 3, 2001, there is taught a fishing rod holder insert for holding fishing rods in a five-gallon bucket. The fishing rod insert includes a spaced apart top and bottom plates with a plurality of elongated rods extending between the top and bottom plates for connecting them together. The top and bottom plates each have a plurality of spaced apart cut-outs along the outer perimeter of the respective plates. In use, the insert is disposed in the bucket and each of the cut-outs are designed to receive a tip-up or jig rod therein for holding the same in a relatively upright position in the bucket.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,484 issued on Jul. 3, 2001 to O'Connor discloses a fishing rod holder which includes a first leg in direct contact with an inner surface of a bucket and a second leg in direct contact with an outer surface of the bucket. An arm extends from an upper end of the second leg, and a bridge spans a top end of the first leg and the upper end of the second leg. In operation, the first leg and the second leg are slid over the sidewall of the bucket. A fishing pole is placed in the channel defined by the inner sides of the arm and the canted side of the bridge.
The remaining patents, listed above but not specifically discussed, are deemed to be only of general interest and show the state of the art in fishing rod and tackle carriers for organizing, transporting and storing of fishing rods and reels and other fishing equipment.
None of the prior art discussed above disclosed a bucket tackle system like that of the present invention which includes a bucket, a fishing rod and reel insert assembly disposed inside of the bucket, and a cover secured to the open end of the bucket for organizing, transporting and storing fishing rods and reels so as to prevent them from being damaged and/or destroyed.